*Options & continued adventures: Add some White wine to sauce: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio or something very slightly fruity. You can also dredge fish fillets in white flour till thinly coated and sauté till pale tan and slightly crunchy then follow rest of recipe. About 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger juice adds to but does not impose on the red pepper in the sauce. This fish should melt in your mouth!

One large heavy skillet (NOT nonstick)
One large serving platter

To prepare:

Heat skillet over medium/high heat and add oil. Allow oil to heat for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add half of the whole fish fillets to skillet and allow to cook until just opaque in center, a few minutes, turning gently on each side being very careful not to break fillet apart. Transfer fish to platter. Repeat with remaining fish. In the same skillet add more oil so skillet bottom is evenly coated. Add parsley (stand back a bit while the parsley gets annoyed and spits) and crushed red pepper. Sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives and garlic and if adding wine, use about 1/4 Cup now. Continue sautéing until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2-3 minutes. Season sauce with salt & pepper. Spoon over fish and serve. Bellissima!

One medium cast iron or stainless steel skillet
NOTE: the size of the tortilla depends on if you want each person to have her/his own tortilla or pizza cut slices from very large burrito size

To prepare:

Bring skillet to medium heat. Place one flat tortilla in skillet and toast slightly on both sides about 30 seconds on each side. You can adjust this later to make it less or more crunchy. Transfer to a plate and repeat for as many as you want. Spread each with hummus and top with avocado slices, tomato slices, halved olives and a drizzle of olive oil. Cut into pizza slices or serve each person their own. Voila! Delicious finger chews!

Here are two:
Chicken: Slice breast into thin strips and saute in olive oil, salt, pepper, herbs of your choice, and garlic. Cut strips into bite size pieces and add to tortilla tops.
OR
Tempeh: Prepare same as for chicken but cut tempeh into small cubes and sauté/toast until sides are golden tan. Add to tortilla topping.

Large, heavy porcelain/cast iron or stainless steel pot & lid is best
About one hour cooking time

NOTE: I recommend using latex gloves when handling hot peppers

To prepare:

Heat oil in pot on low/medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic till they are aromatic, a few minutes. Add chicken chunks and continue sautéing for a few minutes. Mix in veggies and niblets and cook on medium heat for a few minutes. Add oregano, cumin, jalapenos and mix through. Add tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, lemon juice, all beans, salt & pepper. Bring heat down to simmer for 45 minutes. Add cilantro and adjust flavors to your taste. Simmer 15 minutes more. Serve with the sides. S-mokin’!

Helen Sandler is used to being an innovator
and at the cutting edge of whole
foods whole grains awareness. After
graduating from SUNY, New York with a
teaching degree, she began to follow
her real passion for healthy cooking
which took her from Los Angeles to Boston
to attend the cooking school of the
late and great master Japanese natural
chef, Aveline Kushi. Later that passion
took her to Kyoto, Japan to continue her
studies, where she spent four more years
learning the art of healthy Japanese
cooking (Seishoku).

As Wellnes Chef Helen she is the featured authority at CTNgreen /wellness with articles in the library there and the virtual paperless magazine at CTNGreen Magazine